Social Media

These are just a few of the hottest and heated issues that presently divide our nation. While individuals look to their political, religious, cultural, and personal beliefs to take a stance on the matters, many companies stay quiet and impartial – fearful to not outrage consumers. But there’s one major company Track Social has been monitoring that doesn’t seem to shy away from the controversy, and in fact, welcomes it. From gay marriage to gun rights, Starbucks has staked its image on some very public, and potentially risky, social-political positions.

Starbucks Rates Number 1 in Study of Most Socially Engaged Companies by Research Firm PhaseOne. Company Mascots, Characters Head to Twitter, Facebook. A Quick Guide to Tumblr for Business. There's a very engaged Tumblr audience waiting to see your content.

Here are some tips to help you get started. February 13, 2012 With the rise of Pinterest and Tumblr's astounding growth, it seems that 2012 may be the year of the visual platform. Tumblr surpassed 15 billion monthly pageviews in January, and Pinterest is driving some serious traffic to retailers. We've already covered some best practices for brands on Pinterest, but if you're looking to mix up your content creation, try Tumblr. As with any other platform, there are pros and cons to consider. Set Up Your Tumblr Pick a password and designate a URL for your Tumblr—the URL will be www.anything.tumblr.com. Then, customize your blog. Getting all that set up shouldn't have taken you too long. What to Post "Blogging" no longer evokes a visual of someone sitting in a coffee shop writing about life all day. To make a post, just click the icon of the media type you'd like to post.

What Now? Where to Look For Inspiration. Meet the Coolest Facebook Brand Timelines From Coke to ESPN to Ford. Celebs Make Most of Social Media by Creating Own Websites. 6a00e54fd9f05988330168e7794408970c-pi (JPEG Image, 640 × 5098 pixels) - Scaled (12%)
Pinterest as Free Market Research - Grant McCracken. My first reaction was panic.

You know how it goes. First I heard about Pinterest. Then I heard that it grew 429% from September to December 2011. And I thought, Oh, my god, the future is preparing to leave without me…again. So I raced to have a look. This is a critical moment. My theory, these days, is that the only real way to assess something in the digital world is to use it. I use “dorking around” deliberately because you know how this goes too. We don’t really grasp what we are looking at, so we are obliged to proceed fitfully and awkwardly, trying this, trying that. So it’s a double bind. I pressed on, because, as I say, you can’t know unless you do. Not all of this is (p)interesting. I filled in a couple of categories, trying just about anything.
Coca-Cola to Host Google+ Hangout Next Week. In another vote of confidence from Corporate America for Google+, Coca-Cola is planning to launch a Hangout on the network next week.

Coke's Hangout, scheduled for 2 p.m. EST on Feb. 16, will feature company archivists Ted Ryan and Jamal Booker taking questions from the Coca-Cola Archives. The Archives have been featured on CNBC and Bloomberg TV as well as in Coke's Virtual Online Museum, but it is not open to the public and the company has never hosted an event there. Ryan says the talk, scheduled to run 30 to 45 minutes, will include a look at some Olympics memorabilia and a document showing Coca-Cola's original patent award in 1887. It will not, however, be scripted. Coke announced the Hangout on its Google+ Page as well as via its Coca-Cola Archives Facebook Page and Twitter feed.

Google opened Google+ up to brand pages in early November.
How Starbucks Built an Engaging Brand on Social Media. Starbucks has a big brand presence online.

Not because they have millions of dollars for Marketing and Advertising, which they do have, but because they are one of the most engaging companies online. If you are fan of Starbucks coffee, and a bit Internet savvy, then chances are you have come across one of if not all of Starbuck’s Social Media Pages. Starbucks has made it a point to take its successful offline branding strategies and implement them online. Its online image and messages have stayed consistent with their brand values, which are honesty, sincerity, and connecting with its consumers on a level unlike any other brand.